Rainfall deficiencies persist in northern and eastern Australia

The Commonwealth Bureau of Meteorology announced today that
there are still significant areas of eastern Australia that are
deficient
in their twelve-month rainfall totals. Some shorter-term rainfall
deficiencies remain evident in some parts of central and northern
Australia.

8-month rainfall deficiencies

For the 8-month period from March to October 2003,
serious rainfall
deficiencies are evident in the southern Northern Territory,
generally to the north and west of Alice Springs, and in some small
patches in central and far northwest Queensland as well as the far
north of WA. Above average
October rainfall removed the deficiencies
in a small area near Bairnsdale in Victoria.

12-month rainfall deficiencies

For the 12-month period from November 2002 to
October 2003, longer-term
serious to severe rainfall deficiencies continued over some significant
areas of eastern Australia, thereby re-emphasizing the severity of the
dry conditions late last year and early 2003. The
regions affected were less extensive compared with the 12 months
ending September, due to average or above average rainfall during
October. This was particularly the case in the far southeast of the
mainland. The largest regions with 12-month deficiencies were in
central and northeast Queensland, most notably between Cooktown and
Mackay. There were also patches in the southern NT as well as north
of Giles in eastern WA, and around Carnarvon on the west coast of WA.